“Like being thrown the keys to the TARDIS with a temporal map to visit all those not-to-be-missed adventures in time and space” (Phil Ford, Doctor Who writer). Ever since its premiere on November 23, 1963, Doctor Who has been a television phenomenon. This companion guide presents the top fifty stories from the show’s first fifty years—examining every corner of the imaginative, humorous, and sometimes scary universe that has made Doctor Who an iconic part of popular culture. This must-have reference also includes behind the scenes details, goofs, trivia, connections to Doctor Who lore, and much more.

In the 1960s, the BBC screened 253 episdoes of its cult science fiction show Doctor Who, starring William Hartnell and then Patrick Troughton as the time travelling doctor. Yet by 1975, the Corporation had wiped the master tapes of every single one to these episodes. Of the 124 Doctor Who episodes starring Jon Pertwee shown between 1970 and 1974, the BBC destroyed over half of the original transmission tapes within two years of their original broadcast. For the first time this book looks in detail at how the episodes came to be missing in the first place, and examines how material subsequently came to be returned to the BBC.

Premiering the day after the JFK assassination, Doctor Who humbly launched one of the entertainment world’s first super-brands. We begin with a look at TV programming of the day and the original pitch documents before delving into the Daleks, which almost didn’t make the cut but inspired many monsters to follow. After three years, First Doctor William Hartnell left, prompting the BBC to recast their hit rather than end it, giving us the first “regeneration” and making TV history. We follow the succession of Doctors—including Third Doctor Jon Pertwee, exiled to Earth and targeted by the Master—and see how the program reflected the feminism of the 1970s while gaining mainstream popularity with Fourth Doctor Tom Baker . . . until declining support from the BBC eventually led to cancelation. Fan outcry saved the series only for it to suffer a repeat cancelation. Yet many continued to enjoy the Whoniverse in syndication, novels, audio dramas, and Doctor Who Magazine. Paul McGann impressed many as the Eighth Doctor in a 1996 TV movie, but it failed to reignite the series. A new age dawned in 2005 with Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston and a serious special effects budget before Tenth Doctor David Tennant helped rocket the series to international popularity and a new era of spinoffs. With Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, the show became a bona fide success here in America. Following the program’s fiftieth anniversary, Whovians will meet the Twelfth Doctor, ushering in yet another era for the unstoppable Time Lord. Featuring discussions of concepts and characters, with insights from producers, writers, and actors from across the years, here is a rich, behind-the-camera investigation into the dazzling multiverse of Doctor Who.

Climb aboard the TARDIS for a journey through space, time, and comedy in the official Doctor Who joke book! -What do we want? -TIME TRAVEL! -When do we want it? -THAT'S IRRELEVANT! Packed with a dimensionally transcendent TARDIS-load amount of jokes, gags and riddles, this is the official Doctor Who joke book! Remember: it's funnier on the inside!

Includes jokes, games, puzzles, stories, and cartoons satirizing the Doctor Who television program

Meet all the most important characters from the entire history of Doctor Who, including every Doctor and companion. Packed with fascinating facts and statistics for characters from the Abzorbaloff to the Zygons, and with large cut-out poses and stunning stills from the program, this is the ultimate compendium of Doctor Who characters.

Get to know the eccentric alien known as the Doctor in this “out-of-this-world read for both Classic and New Who fans” (Library Journal). From his beginnings as a crotchety, anti-heroic scientist in 1963 to his current place in pop culture as the mad and dangerous monster-fighting savior of the universe, the character of Doctor Who has metamorphosed in his many years on television. And yet the questions about him remain the same: Who is he? Why does he act the way he does? What motivates him to fight evil across space and time? The Doctors Are In is a guide to television’s most beloved time traveler from the authors of Who Is the Doctor and Who’s 50. This is a guide to the Doctor himself—who he is in his myriad forms, how he came to be, how he has changed (within the program itself and behind the scenes) . . . and why he’s a hero to millions.